While jambalaya isn’t difficult to make on the stovetop, I like to use my slow cooker when I can. Everything in this easy Slow Cooker Jambalaya recipe is cooked in one pot, including the rice. Cooking rice like this might sound like a mushy mess, but as long as you add it at the very end, you can control the texture a bit more and get good results! This slow cooker recipe is simple comfort food at its best and perfect for busy weeknights or lazy weekends.
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“This is such an easy weeknight meal for my house! I love that there are leftovers for the rest of the week, too! Even our three year old twins love the jambalaya!”
natalie
easy slow cooker jambalaya
Jambalaya is a popular rice-based dish originating in Louisiana, believed to have been influenced by the cuisines of the French, Spanish, and African cultures there. It’s a natural “budget” recipe because it combines flavorful and inexpensive cuts of meat (smoked sausage and chicken thighs) with bulky and inexpensive ingredients, like rice, onion, celery, and bell pepper. Some recipes also add seafood, but I skipped that to keep costs down. Add a good handful of spices, and you have a super filling and very satisfying meal that freezes well and reheats effortlessly in the microwave. Total winner.
This recipe depends greatly on the sausage you buy, which accounts for about half of the flavor in the dish. I had one of those “small changes make big differences” moments at the grocery store and bought smoked turkey sausage instead of regular smoked pork sausage, and I kind of regret it. But hey, it all depends on your priorities. Just be aware that the sausage can make or break this recipe. And while I think you could easily skip the chicken thighs to reduce the meat load of the dish, do not skip the smoked sausage.
Recipe Success Tips
- Fully submerge the rice. Some readers report that their rice was not cooked. For it to fully cook, it needs to be submerged in the crockpot.
- Smoked sausage is key. If you want to capture the true essence of jambalaya, you need to use a smoked sausage. Andouille sausage is the traditional choice, but you can use any smoked pork sausage you like.
- Consistently cut veggies. Ensuring all the vegetables are the same size will ensure they cook at the same pace, and you won’t end up with overcooked or undercooked pieces.
- Jambalaya vs gumbo. Both are delicious and integral parts of Cajun and Creole cuisine, but they’re distinct in their own ways. Jambalaya is a one-pot rice dish, while gumbo is a thick stew or soup made with a dark roux (a mixture of flour and fat) as a base. Gumbo can be served with rice, but it’s not cooked with the other ingredients like in jambalaya. It’s mainly the preparation and serving style that sets these two dishes apart.
Slow Cooker Jambalaya Recipe
Cost $11.02 recipe / $1.37 serving
Ingredients
- 3 ribs celery (finely diced (125g) $0.63)
- 1 yellow onion (finely diced (1 cup, 150g) $0.90)
- 1 green bell pepper (finely diced (1 cup, 150g) $0.78)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced, $0.16)
- 12-16 oz. smoked sausage (sliced into half moons or rounds, $2.97*)
- 2 chicken thighs (boneless, skinless, cubed (optional) $2.06)
- 1 tsp dried oregano ($0.06)
- 1 tsp dried thyme ($0.11)
- ½ Tbsp smoked paprika ($0.16)
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper ($0.06)
- black pepper (freshly cracked, 15-20 cranks of a mill, $0.05)
- 1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes (or two 15 oz. cans, $1.48)
- 2 cups chicken broth ($0.26**)
- ¼ bunch fresh parsley (chopped, $0.27)
- 2 cups long grain white rice (uncooked, 370g, $0.71)
- 3 green onions (sliced, $0.36)
Instructions
- Gather and prep all ingredients.
- Add the celery, onion, bell pepper, and garlic to the bottom of a 5 quart or larger slow cooker.
- Add the sliced sausage slow cooker, along with the cubed chicken, oregano, thyme, paprika, cayenne, and freshly cracked pepper.
- Pour the diced tomatoes and all their juices over the meat and spices in the slow cooker. Add the chicken broth and a handful of chopped fresh parsley. Stir briefly.
- Place the lid on the slow cooker, turn the heat to high, and cook for four hours.
- After four hours, the liquid in the slow cooker should be boiling. Remove the lid and add the rice, making sure it is fully submerged. Replace the lid quickly and set the slow cooker back to high.
- Let it continue to cook on high for 20-25 minutes, or until the rice has absorbed most of the liquid.
- Remove the lid, test the rice to make sure it’s tender, then stir to fluff the ingredients (don’t stir too vigorously or the rice will become gummy). Sprinkle the sliced green onions over top, then serve.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!How to Make SLow Cooker Jambalaya Step-by-Step Photos
Gather and prep all the ingredients.
Get the veggies ready: Place 3 ribs of diced celery, diced yellow onion, diced green bell pepper, and 2 minced garlic cloves at the bottom of a 5-quart or larger slow cooker.
Add the meat and spices: Add the sliced 12-16 oz. of smoked sausage to the slow cooker, along with 2 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, 1 tsp dried oregano, 1 tsp thyme, ½ Tbsp smoked paprika, ½ tsp cayenne, and freshly cracked pepper (15-20 cranks of a mill).
Add the liquid: Pour 28 oz. diced tomatoes and their juices over the meat and spices in the slow cooker. Add 2 cups chicken broth and ¼ bunch chopped fresh parsley. Stir briefly.
Cook: Cover the slow cooker, turn the heat to high, and cook for four hours.
Add the rice: At this point, the liquid should be boiling. Carefully remove the chicken thighs, and replace the lid quickly. Shred the chicken and stir it back into the pot along with 2 cups uncooked long-grain rice. Fully submerge the rice in the liquid and then cover the crockpot again. You need it to return to a boil to cook the rice.
Let the jambalaya continue to cook on high for 20-25 minutes, or until the rice has absorbed most of the liquid.
Test the rice: Take the cover off, test the rice to make sure it’s tender, then stir to fluff the ingredients (don’t stir too vigorously or the rice will become gummy).
Serve: Sprinkle 3 sliced green onions over top, then serve. Enjoy.
Serving Suggestions
Though this jambalaya is a meal in and of itself, if I’m looking to round things out for the true Louisiana experience, I’ll prepare cornbread casserole, a side of grilled okra, or some creamy coleslaw. For dessert, nothing beats a slice of pecan pie.
How to Store
This slow cooker jambalaya recipe makes about 10 cups total (when made in a 5-quart slow cooker), so you’ll probably have some leftovers. Let everything cool before storing it in airtight containers in the fridge for 3-4 days. You can also freeze individual portions for up to 6 months. Let it thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating in the microwave—yum!
More Cajun Recipes To Try
- Cajun Sausage and Vegetables: One of my favorite meal prep recipes. Super flexible and versatile, they are great to have on hand.
- Cajun Potato Salad: A slightly spicy and ultra-creamy twist on a classic!
- Cajun Seasoning: This is one seasoning blend I always have in my pantry. It adds an extra layer of flavor to all my favorite dishes.
More Slow Cooker Recipes
Our Slow Cooker Jambalaya recipe was originally published 8/15/16. We have updated it to be the best it can be and republished 2/16/26.
This is so good. My husband asks that we make this every other week and eats it all week for lunch! It’s helping him lose weight! It makes it a lot easier when we cut the veggies and meat the evening before. So good! And yes, the good sausage does make a difference. Thanks for that heads up. Thanks for the good recipes!
Made this two times, and loved the simplicity. I have a cajun shrimp broth recipe I used instead of the chicken broth on the second time, it was so good!
We love this recipe but add the rice at the start of cooking. I forgot today and followed the recipe, over 2 hours of cooking on high and doubled the broth and some of the rice is STILL undercooked.
This is a great recipe–definitely add the chicken thighs.
This is such an easy weeknight meal for my house! I love that there are leftovers for the rest of the week, too! Even our three year old twins love the jambalaya!
Just made this tonight, and it came out perfectly if you follow the directions specifically! Rice came out great. Only qualm would be to change the spices a little bit, or just add more. I added some Tony’s to ours and that helped, because otherwise it’s a teensy bit bland.
We had this for dinner tonight. Absolutely delicious. My husband and I loved it. It was so good and so easy. Highly recommend!! I cooked the rice separately and just added it in the crockpot just to mix it up once cooked. So good!! It makes a lot of food and it is amazing. Thank you for the amazing recipie!!!
This one didn’t hit the mark for me. The taste wasn’t very Cajun and the rice didn’t cook well.
Much better than the boxed mix we had been using! The rice turned out fine for me, the flavor was good and you could always sub andouille if you want a little more heat.
As others have said, id avoid this one. You either end up with a soggy sausage stew, or you’re stuck with hard rice.
Skip this recipe. Except for adding more garlic, I followed the directions thoroughly. The rice was still hard, and needed another hour but more importantly, the entire dish was flat-out bland. Just bland bland bland.
Can I cook this on low for longer (maybe low for 8 hrs)? So it may cook during the workday?
You need that higher heat to cook the rice properly. Lower heat will just kind of turn it to mush. :(
This was DELICIOUS!!! It had a little bit of a kick to it so I added a dollop of sour cream on top of each serving. Loved it
I am also having a rice problem! I read all of the comments- should have listened and made rice separately. Flavor is good, easy to prep. But the rice not cooking is a big issue for me. Will try again next time.
This is my go to recipe, I LOVE IT and make it all the time. But I just skip the rice and add some shrimp at the end, then I guess it’s more like Gumbo :)